Howard e



(No Model.)

H. E. ADT.

TAKE-UP FOR CONTROLLING SLACK 0F TROLLEY ROPES.

Patented Dec. 28,1897.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD E. ADT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO A. I-IAVENS BOYVDITOI-I, OF SAME PLACE.

TAKE-UP FOR CONTROLLING SLACK OF TROLLEY-ROPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,439, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed May 10, 1897. Serial No. 635,766. (No model.)

I T0 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. ADT, of New" Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have inventedanew Improvement in Take-Ups for Controlling the Slack of Trolley-Ropes; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a plan View of one of the forms which my improved device may assume; Fig. 2, a View thereof in side elevation; Fig. 3, a view in central horizontal section; Fig. 4, an enlarged view of the movable collar mounted upon the inner end of the spool-shaft.

My invention relates to an improved takeup for controlling the slack of trolley-ropes, the object being to produce simple, durable, convenient, and effective means for the purpose indicated, whereby the slack of trolleyropes may be controlled and the ropes prevented from becoming fouled or entangled with the brake-handles of the cars on which the ropes are used when the ropes are slackened from whatever cause-as, for instance, the passage of the car under a bridge, where the trolley-wires are deflected below their normal level.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a take-up having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

As herein shown, I employ a two-armed spool-frame A, having a T-shaped or undercut coupling-head A, adapting the head to be coupled with spool-frame brackets B, only one of which is shown, but two of which are employed, the said brackets being permanently secured in central positions to the outer faces of the dashboards at the respective ends of a car by meansof screws or bolts 13 B. The frames are secured in the brackets by means of a readily-removable couplingpin 0, which is received in part by a semicircular groove A formed in the couplinghead A of the frame, and in a corresponding 1 groove B, formed in each bracket, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that as the car is reversed in the direction of motion the spool-frame is shifted from one bracket to the other. Between the arms A A of the spool-frame A, I mount a springcontrolled spool D, which is adapted in size and form to have the maximum amount of slack in the trolley-rope wound upon it. One flange of the spool is formed with an opening D, by means of which the lower end of the rope is permanently connected with the pulley, the rope being knotted and the knot being drawn into the opening, which is tapered. The spool is mounted so as to revolve upon a spool-shaft E, which is itself mounted in the ends of two arms A A of the spool-frame A, the said spool-shaft E being secured in place in the said arms and prevented from rotation by means of small keys 6 e, which enter the arms and the ends of a longitudinal groove 6, extending throughout the length of the shaft. The spool D is formed with a cylindrical horizontal chamber D receiving a spiral torsion-spring F, which encircles the shaft E. The inner end of the spring F terminatesin a straight finger f, w hich is inserted into a hole 9, formed for its reception in a collar G, located in the extremeinner end of the chamber D and loosely mounted upon the shaft E, with which it is connected by means of a coupling-pin H, radially mounted in the collar and extending at its inner end into the groove 6 in the shaft. The opposite end of the spring F is formed with a straight end or finger f, which is entered into a transverse hole 2', formed in a removable disk-shaped plate I, which is set into a suitable shallow circular recess D formed to receive it in what I may call the outer end of the spool, to which the plate is secured by means of screws I I. This plate is provided with a central opening 1 which receives the shaft E, whereby the plate is caused to form the bearing of the outer end of the spool upon the shaft.

It will thus be seen that the inner end of the spring F is loosely connected with the spool-shaft E, while the outer end of the said spring is rigidly connected with the outer end of the spool through the medium of the plate I. It will be understood also that by removing the plate I the spring may be introduced into and removed from the spool.

In setting the device preparatory to using it the spool is rotated several times upon its shaft and so as to place the torsion-spring under somewhat more than sufficient tension to rotate the spool in the opposite direction the required number of times for taking up the maximum amount of slack. The trolley-rope is then connected with the spool, the spring of which will always impose a pull upon the rope for the reason that in order to cover all emergencies the maximum winding capacity of the spring will always be set above the maximum slack of the rope. It will be understood now that when the rope is in use any slack will be taken up and wound upon the spool by the torsional effort of the torsionspring to unwind. When the rope is unwound from the spool against the tension of the spring, the spring will be wound, The unwinding and winding of the spring in the action of the device causes it to contract and expand or shorten and lengthen, this being provided for by the sliding of the collar G upon the shaft E. After the car reaches the end of its route the motorman goes to its forward end and removes the pin 0 and the spool-frame A, thence carrying the frame to the rear end of the car, which has now become its front end, and inserting it in the bracket there, the trolley-rope not being detached from the spool.

I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I am aware,however,that,broadly speaking, it is old to connect the lower end of a trolley-rope with a spring-controlled spool which rotates under the control of its spring for taking up the slack of the rope which is payed out, as required, when the tension of the spring is overcome.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a take-up device for controlling the slack of trolley-ropes, the combination with two spool frame brackets permanently located upon the ends of a trolley-car, of a two-armed spool-frame adapted to be detachably connected with either one of the said brackets according to the direction in which the car is to be run, a non-rotatable spool-shaft mounted in the arms of the said frame, and formed 'with a longitudinal slot, a chambered spool mounted upon the said shaft so as to rotate thereupon and adapted to have the lower end of a trolley-rope attached to it, a spring located within the chamber of the spool, and encircling the said spool-shaft, a collar located in the inner end of the said chamber, having HOWARD E. ADT.

Witnesses:

FRED. C. EARLE, GEORGE D. SEYMOUR, 

